Year 3 Spotlight

Numeracy

So far this term, students have been exploring data collection and addition/subtraction. Students started term two by deciding on a data collection question related to sustainability, science or nature. Grade 3s then surveyed their class to collect data, analysed their results and represented this data using  both a hand drawn and digital column graph. Students wrote true statements about their data and presented this all on a poster for our end of year portfolios.

Then we began our unit on addition and subtraction. Students have unpacked what it means to add and subtract whole numbers, and explored the language and symbols associated with both terms. We have explored a number of different strategies to help solve addition and subtraction problems including

• Jump & Hop
• Split Strategy
• Compensation Strategy
• Vertical Strategy

These strategies, along with finger counting, drawings to match equations, skip counting and 10s facts knowledge have helped students be able to solve a range of equations and worded problems for 3 and 4-digit numbers. 

Writing

This term is all about engaging narrative writing! Grade 3 students have spent time taking an in depth look at all the elements of a great story. This includes using the Story Graph (pictured below) to plan for success:

• Exploring Sizzling Starts
• Backfilling character information
• Having a pebble, rock, boulder problem to Tighten Tension
• Writing an Exciting Ending
• Finishing off with an emotional Character Wrap Up

After carefully planning for all of that, students have begun drafting their narratives and are well on their way to being the next generation of fantastic story tellers.

“My story is a horror about a giant wasp and spider invasion! A mad scientist brings giant spiders and wasps to Earth and then a kid called Phil and his friends have to fight them.” 

~ Eska, 3A

“My narrative is a fantasy about a witch and dragon who explore the forest and find some friends along the way, and some foes…” 

~ Alexis, 3A

“Mine is about a little girl whose parents sent her off to sea when she was a baby because of a war in her country. She washed up on a beach and was raised by dragons. One day when she was older, about 15 or so, a ship was coming into view on the horizon and it was a dragon hunter ship. So she has to find a way to defeat it.”

~ Ariana, 3B

“Mine is about a town where things get stolen and then the greedy Mayor’s daughter gets stolen. He gets mad and tries to hunt them down.”

~ Edward, 3B

“My story is about Fortnite. It’s a Sci-Fi story. All the villains get out of jail and Detective Peely has to catch them all.”

~ Jordan, 3C

“A young boy called Joe goes to bed wondering what the world would be like without parents. In the morning, he wakes up to find his parents are gone. After some time he can’t stop struggling with the situation and goes on a journey to find them.”

~ Max, 3C

“My narrative is about Cherry, who is tall and kind. In my story, Cherry walks to the shops while it’s raining really hard and meets Blueberry, his enemy. Blueberry steals $100 and Cherry has to fight to get his money back.”

~ Leah, 3D

“My story is a horror/fiction. Dr Scar has three pet capybarras. One day he’s just playing with his pets and Dr. Bomb tries to take over the city.”

~ Hugo, 3D

We have continued our work targeting expanding sentences using a range of

conjunctions other than ‘and’. This has meant using the acronyms FANBOYS and ISAWAWUBUB to write both compound and complex sentences with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. 

Civics & Citizenship

Grade 3s have been exploring the different local and global communities they are a part of, what it means to be an active citizen, and the many cultures that make up our community. We started by thinking about the many different communities we are a part of.

We then started to look at what it means to be an active citizen, and what makes a community a positive place to be. We all bring different qualities, strengths, perspectives and skills to each and every community we are a part of. Grade 3s spent some time researching different Australian of the Year Award winners to see examples of active citizens beyond our local heroes! As we move into the second half of this term, we will begin exploring multiculturalism and its contributions to happy healthy communities. 

We started this off with our Cultural Dance incursion, where Grade 3 students got to learn a Polynesian dance, a dance from the Philippines and a Hip Hop dance. Everyone did such a great job learning from the dance teachers and adapting to the different styles of movement. 

“My favourite part was the break dancing one because I’ve never break danced before!” 

~ Sam, 3A

“It was very enjoyable to watch each other dance. My favourite was the dance from the Philippines. When I grow up I want to be a cultural scientist studying different cultures.”

~ Winnie, 3A

“I thought it was good and I learnt a lot of different cultures’ dances. It was really fun. My favourite dance was the one from the Philippines.”

~ Raff, 3B

“I thought it was good. My favourite dance was the Hip Hop one. It was really fun and I liked how we learnt about all different dances.”

~ Anais, 3C

“We did different dances and we kept jumping up and down which was really fun. I really liked the wavy move we did in the Polynesian dance.”

~ Scarlett, 3D

Grade 3 will begin their research projects very soon, taking a deep dive into a specific culture of their choice and exploring its traditions, food, clothing, dance/music and more! They will have a go at using PowerPoint to present their findings at the end of the term. 

Wellbeing

Term two so far has been all about bullying prevention! We have been revising the Stop, Walk, Talk approach and having meaningful discussions about the difference between bullying and disrespectful behaviour. Grade 3s have explored the impacts of bullying and cyber bullying and role played what the Stop, Walk, Talk method looks like in various scenarios. 

In RRRR, we have been learning about positive coping and problem solving. This includes trying a range of strategies to help with feeling angry:

1. Count first

Ask students to scrunch up tight and clench their fists as if they are feeling angry, then let go of the tension as they count from 1 to 10.

2. Take five deep, slow breaths

Invite students to try this one while standing, then sitting, and then while sitting or lying on the floor.

3. Squeezing technique

Ask students to try out what it is like to press their hands firmly together. Stress balls/toys can be passed around for students to try squeezing. Ask students to try the squeezing technique by holding on tightly to a pen or a tabletop. Try squeezing hard while counting to 10, then letting go with a big sigh.

4. ‘Robot to rag doll’ (or ‘Ice to water’)

Invite students to try slowly ‘dissolving (or transforming) from a robot to a rag doll’ while standing up. They can then try ‘melting from ice to water’ while sitting in their chair.

5. Time out

Ask students to name a place where they can take ‘time out’ in the schoolyard, and at home.

6. Drink of water, take a walk – or both 

Highlight that this is a good strategy for the playground, especially if students ‘take a walk’ to go to the taps or to get their bottle for a drink of water.

We also explored what makes a good apology, and using the roundabout method to help problem-solve tricky situations. 

How to make a meaningful apology

1. Say what you did wrong.
2. Say how you think it made the other person feel.
3. Say how you feel now that you see you did the wrong thing.
4. Promise not to do it again.
5. Say sorry (and mean it).

The roundabout is where we have different choices about where to go or what to do. It is the place where you are when you are going around and around, trying to work out which is the right road to take. (It helps to be able to name your problem at this point – for example, deciding what game to play.) 

Before we work out which road to take, we want to know where each one goes! That way, we can make the best choice when picking a solution or next steps. 

Year 3 Teachers (Millie, Jack, James, Sophie & Jess) and Students